“ Mansei 


LITTLE  MARTYRS 
OF  KOREA 


PRICE  10  CENTS 


Published  by 

KOREAN  INFORMATION  BUREAU 
825  WEIGHTMAN  BUILDING 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

1919 


KOREA’S  HOPE 


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Little  Martyrs  of  Korea 


PRICE,  10  CENTS 


Published  by 

KOREAN  INFORMATION  BUREAU 
825  WEIGHTMAN  BUILDING 
PHILADELPHIA.  PA. 

1919 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/littlemartyrsofkOOkore 


LITTLE  MARTYRS  OF  KOREA 


The  passionate  desire  to  live  under  a government  of  their 
own  choice,  and  the  determined  effort  to  establish  political 
and  religious  liberty  in  Korea,  is  not  confined  to  any  one 
class  of  the  people,  or  to  any  particular  section  of  the  country, 
which  was  once  the  peaceful  “Land  of  Morning  Calm.” 

The  farmers,  mechanics  and  laborers  are  equally  as  eager  as 
the  educated  class  to  contribute  their  mite  in  the  efforts  to  regain 
their  political  independence.  Neither  is  this  love  for  their  country 
confined  among  the  men,  for  hundreds  of  women  and  girls  have 
dauntlessly  taken  part  in  the  independence  demonstrations  in  the 
face  of  the  dreadful  punishments  the  Japanese  meted  out  to  them. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  events  of  this  movement  is  the 
part  the  Korean  children  have  played.  Unlike  their  elders,  who 
have  an  organization  and  who  acted  according  to  the  pre-arranged 
plans  of  their  leaders,  these  children  took  a most  active  and  ef- 
fective part  in  the  demonstrations  on  their  own  initiatives,  and 
with  their  own  devices.  Among  the  numerous  reports  that  come 
to  this  Bureau  from  our  friends  in  Korea,  we  find  many  stories 
that  relate  the  part  the  Korean  children  played  in  this  tragedy. 
This  is  so  significant  in  relation  to  Korea’s  struggle,  that  we  have 
selected  some  of  these  reports  for  reproduction  in  this  booklet, 
with  a view  to  refuting  the  insidious  statements  circulated  by 
the  enemies  of  Korea,  to  the  effect  that  the  Koreans  are  of  a 
decadent  race,  and  that  they  are  not  capable  of  governing  them- 
selves. 

The  stories  recorded  herein,  are  the  stories  of  the  American 
missionaries  in  Korea,  whose  names  we  do  not  care  to  divulge  at 
the  present  time  for  the  sake  of  their  safety.  We  have  had  many 
other  similar  stories  sent  to  us  by  the  Koreans,  but  not  knowing 
their  names,  we  omitted  them.  We  produce  only  those  statements 
that  can  be  vouched  for  by  those  whom  we  know  personally,  and 
whose  reputation  for  veracity  is  beyond  question. 

The  stories  follow : 

“I  am  going  to  let  you  know  some  of  my  experiences  during 
the  Independence  Movement  in  Korea.  You  must  have  full  re- 
ports of  the  major  part  the  Korean  people  played  in  this  remark- 
able movement,  but  perhaps  you  do  not  know  what  the  Korean 
children  have  done  during  this  trying  period.  My  duty  was  to 
teach  the  girls  and  boys  in  the  Mission  Schools,  therefore,  I am 
telling  you  a few  things  about  these  children. 

5 


THE  CHILDREN  JOIN  IN  THE 
DEMONSTRATION 

“After  the  leaders  and  adults  had  a demonstration  in  Seoul, 
the  boys  and  girls  of  all  the  schools  in  that  city,  without  the  knowl- 
edge of  their  elders,  gathered  in  Pagoda  Park  and  declared  them- 
selves in  sympathy  with  their  elders.  They  read  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  and  then  giving  their  national  cry  of  “Toknip 
Mansei”  (Independence  Forever),  they  rushed  down  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city,  holding  up  their  hands  and  waving  their  caps, 
lustily  shouting  for  their  independence. 

“These  children  were  immediately  met  by  the  Japanese  gend- 
armes and  police,  with  drawn  swords  and  fixed  bayonets  and  were 
driven  back  with  many  casualties.  About  six  o’clock,  when  the 
sun  disappeared  behind  the  western  hills,  these  brave  little  pa- 
triots disappeared  from  the  streets.” 


THE  SCHOOL  BOYS  DEFY  THE 
JAPANESE 

“On  March  .3d,  when  the  funeral  of  the  Emperor  was  to  take 
place,  the  Japanese  authorities  ordered  the  school  children  to  at- 
tend the  funeral  procession  in  a body,  but  they  absolutely  refused 
to  take  part  in  this  ceremony. 

“Their  next  line  of  resi.stence  was  their  refusal  to  attend  the 
schools  under  Japanese  iurisdictinn.  One  of  the  schools  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  some  of  the  children  in  the  building,  but  that 
was  about  all,  for  immediately  after  the  morning  exercises  things 
began  to  happen.  Suddenly  one  of  the  youngsters  stood  up  and 
said ; 

“ ‘We  have  now  had  our  morning  exercises  and  sung  our 
national  anthem,  so  let  us  all  rise  and  give  three  cheers  for  the 
Independence  of  Korea,  long  may  she  live.’ 

“With  that  every  cap  went  into  the  air,  and  the  boys  gathered 
up  their  books  and  marched  out.  The  Japanese  principal,  very 
much  enraged,  sent  for  the  children  to  come  back,  and  finally, 
after  repeated  and  forcible  persuasion,  they  gathered  in  the  school- 
room again,  and  quietly  resumed  their  studies.  However,  in  about 
five  minutes  one  of  the  boys  again  called  out ; 

“ ‘It  is  about  time  for  us  to  show  our  loyalty  to  our  country; 
let  us  give  three  cheers  for  Korea.  Mansei ! Mansei ! Mansei !’ 

“Every  little  fellow’s  hand  was  raised,  and  their  shrill  voices 
filled  the  air  with  cries  of  ‘Mansei ! Mansei ! Mansei !’  the  battle- 
cry  of  the  Korean  people.  Then  picking  up  their  books,  they 
marched  out  again. 

“This  school,  which  had  an  enrollment  of  400  boys,  was  com- 
pelled to  close  its  doors  and  has  never  been  able  to  open  them 
since.” 


6 


FOR  FREEDOM’S  SAKE 

“Another  demonstration  was  marked  by  the  prominent  part 
many  of  the  mission  school  girls  took  in  it.  Most  of  the  girls  in 
this  school  could  not  get  to  the  places  of  demonstration  on  time, 
therefore  they  gathered  in  groups  on  the  street  corners  after 
school  was  dismissed,  and  sang  their  song  of  freedom.  The  Jap- 
anese immediately  appeared  on  the  scene  and  started  to  push  the 
girls  about  with  their  hands,  then  seeing  that  this  did  not  frighten 
or  disperse  the  girls,  they  used  their  guns  and  clubs  and  cruelly 
beat  them  for  shouting  their  national  cry. 

“Many  of  the  girls  were  arrested  while  riding  in  the  street 
cars.  They  were  taken  to  the  police  stations  and  held  prisoners 
in  filthy  cells  for  from  ten  to  twelve  days,  sufifering  untold  agonies 
and  all  kinds  of  insults  from  the  prison  guards  and  examining 
officers. 

“To  all  questions  they  would  simply  answer;  ‘All  this  has 
been  done  for  our  beloved  country.  We  are  willing  to  give  our 
lives  for  the  freedom  of  Korea,  and  we  do  not  mind  what  becomes 
of  our  bodies,  just  so  our  Korea  may  live  and  gain  her  inde- 
pendence.’ ” 

THE  FEARLESS  GIRLS  OF  KOREA 

“In  one  of  the  Mission  Schools,  on  the  first  of  iMarch,  the 
principal  was  informed  by  the  matron  that  the  girls  were  going 
out.  Being  an  American,  she  had  no  idea  what  the  expression 
meant,  but  thought  the  girls  were  taking  a holiday  and  paid  lit- 
tle attention  to  the  matter.  The  matron,  very  white  and  scared, 
rushed  into  the  room  for  a second  time,  ‘Oh,  Buin  (lady),’  she 
cried,  ‘the  girls  have  gone  out  the  back  way  and  are  going  to  town 
to  join  in  the  demonstration.’ 

“The  principal,  now  thoroughly  frightened,  hurried  to  the 
school  to  find  out  what  had  happened.  A few  of  the  girls  still  in 
the  yard  saw  the  principal  coming,  and  fearing  detention,  climbed 
the  fence.  However,  she  managed  to  catch  two  or  three  of  the 
girls  and  demanded  an  explanation.  The  girls  asked  her  to  go 
back  into  the  school,  promising  to  tell  her  the  meaning  of  their 
strange  actions.  When  they  had  re-entered  the  school,  the  girls 
presented  the  principal  with  a paper,  reading  as  follows : 

“ ‘We  girls  of  this  school  have  decided  to  give  our  lives  for 
our  country.  M'e  are  going  to  shout  “Mansei,”  allow  ourselves 
to  be  arrested,  and,  if  necessary,  face  death. 

“ ‘We  do  not  want  any  reproach  to  be  brought  upon  you  or 
our  school,  so  we  this  day  send  in  our  resignation  as  students  of 
this  school,  and  we  will  have  no  connection  whatever  with  this 
school  in  the  future.’ 

“This  document  was  signed  by  the  students  of  the  school, 
and  not  a girl’s  name  was  missing. 

“The  principal  was  very  much  disturbed  over  this  resigna- 
tion. and  fearing  for  the  safety  of  her  girls,  discussed  ways  and 
means  to  get  them  back.  But  the  few  girls  who  had  returned 

7 


with  her  told  her  it  was  of  no  use,  they  could  not  get  the  girls 
back  as  they  had  already  joined  in  the  demonstrations. 

“In  a short  time  the  telephone  rang,  and  on  answering  it,  the 
principal  discovered  it  was  the  Chief  of  Police  on  the  other  end 
of  the  wire. 

“ ‘Madam,’  he  said,  ‘your  girls  are  standing  in  front  of  the 
police  station  causing  a great  disturbance,  and  constantly  shouting 
“Mansei.”  I cannot  do  anything  with  them ; there  are  too  many 
to  be  arrested ; for  I cannot  arrest  100  girls : there  isn’t  any  room 
for  them.  They  must  be  stopped,  and  I ask  you,  Madam,  to  please 
come  down  and  take  them  home.’ 

“ ‘The  girls  have  resigned  from  the  school,’  she  replied. 
‘They  have  decided  to  declare  their  sympathy  with  the  Inde- 
pendence movement,  and  I am  afraid  I cannot  do  anything  with 
them.’ 

“However,  after  much  pleading  on  the  part  of  the  Chief  of 
Police,  the  good  lady  decided  to  go  to  the  scene  of  action  and  see 
what  she  could  do.  When  she  reached  the  police  station,  she 
found  the  surrounding  hills  covered  with  thousands  of  men, 
women  and  boys,  and  among  them  were  many  of  her  own  girls. 
Down  in  the  valley  she  saw  more  of  her  girls ; they  were  speak- 
ing to  the  crowds  on  the  hills,  who  cheered  them  heartily. 

“She  entered  the  police  station,  and  had  a long  talk  with  the 
Chief  of  Police,  who  continually  begged  her  to  take  the  girls  home. 
She  had  been  gradually  forming  a plan,  which  she  now  told  to 
the  Chief. 

“ ‘You  will  have  to  arrest  the  girls,’  she  began. 

“ ‘But  I cannot ; there  i.sn’t  any  room  for  them.  There  must 
be  1500  girls  in  that  crowd,  and  it  is  impossible  to  jam  them  in 
the  cells.’ 

“ ‘Then,’  said  the  principal,  ‘there  is  only  one  other  thing  to 
do,  and  that  is  to  arrest  me  in  their  places.’ 

“The  Chief  of  Police  stared  at  the  woman  as  if  she  were 
crazy,  and  could  hardly  believe  his  ears. 

“ ‘Madam,  what  effect  would  that  have  on  them ; they 
wouldn’t  mind  that?’ 

“‘You  do  not  know  my  girls;  they  would  never  let  me  be 
arrested.  Let  us  try  the  plan,  anyhow.’ 

“Still  doubting  her,  he  led  her  out  in  front  of  the  station, 
where  the  girls  were  still  shouting  their  beloved  cry  of  ‘Mansei.’ 
When  they  saw  their  principal,  however,  the  girls  quieted  down, 
for  they  knew  something  was  about  to  happen. 

“Looking  down  on  their  young  faces,  flushed  with  excite- 
ment, she  said,  ‘Girls,  the  Chief  of  Police  has  asked  me  to  try 
to  get  you  to  return  to  the  school,  and  in  order  to  do  so,  he  has 
arrested  me  in  your  places.  Now,  girls,  please  go  home.’ 

“ ‘No,  no,  no,  nc>,’  angrily  shouted  a hundred  young  voices, 
‘you  have  nothing  to  do  with  this  ; you  are  an  American.  You 
know  nothing  about  our  plans  for  independence.  The  Japanese 
cannot  touch  you ; you  cannot  be  arrested  in  our  places.’ 

8 


“ ‘But  he  must  arrest  me,’  replied  their  principal.  ‘You  must 
disperse,  girls,  and  the  only  way  is  for  me  to  go  to  prison  in  your 
stead.’ 

“The  girls  consulted  together  for  a few  moments,  then  one 
of  the  number  came  forward,  and  facing  the  principal,  said  in  a 
clear  ringing  voice : ‘We  will  now  go  back  with  you,  for  our 
mission  as  girls  of  Korea  has  been  completed.  It  was  our  duty 
to  wake  up  the  men,  and  as  we  have  been  successful,  we  will  now 
go  home  with  you.’ 

“Then  forming  in  line,  the  girls  marched  back  to  the  Mission 
School,  followed  by  the  Chief  of  Police,  their  American  principal, 
and  a number  of  Japanese  gendarmes  and  soldiers.” 


THE  BELOVED  EMBLEM  OF  KOREA 

“Just  as  we,  the  Americans,  love  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and 
thrill  with  joy  as  we  see  it  floating  majestically  over  ‘the  land  of 
the  free  and  the  home  of  tlie  brave,’  so  do  the  Koreans  love  the 
flag  of  their  country,  and  want  to  see  it  float  over  a free  and  un- 
hampered land.  Many  are  the  stories  telling  of  their  undying 
love  for  their  flag,  and  here  is  one  that  impressed  me  very  much. 

“The  Korean  children  have  played  a very  big  and  important 
part  in  the  work  of  displaying  their  loved  flag.  Just  as  the  rosy 
dawn  was  breaking  in  the  East,  these  courageous  children  would 
hastily  arise  and  go  out  into  the  streets  to  string  small  Korean 
flags  on  the  telegraph  and  telephone  poles,  and  in  hundreds  of 
other  places  throughout  the  city.  The  sight  of  countless  small 
Korean  flags  fluttering  bravely  in  the  cool  morning  air  was  a 
harassing  spectacle  to  the  Japanese.  It  made  the  little  boys  laugh 
with  glee  at  the  ridiculous  sight  of  the  Japanese  gendarmes  climb- 
ing the  poles  and  rushing  about  to  destroy  the  work  of  these  small 
patriots.  But  as  each  flag  was  destroyed  it  was  a stab  in  the  heart 
of  the  little  chap  who  had  strung  it  up  with  such  loving  care. 

“However,  nothing  daunted  these  children,  for  the  next 
morning  just  as  many  flags  again  appeared.  It  was  an  interesting 
game  to  the  Korean  children,  and  it  must  be  admitted  they  had  a 
decided  advantage  over  the  Japanese  police.  In  one  place,  a crowd 
of  boys  had  made  a large  flag,  and  had  hung  it  up  on  the  top  of 
a very  high  wall.  Y’hen  the  Japanese  policeman  came  along  and 
saw  it  he  was  very  angry  and  ran  for  a ladder  so  he  could  take  it 
down.  In  a short  time  he  returned  with  a ladder,  and,  placing 
it  against  the  wall,  began  climbing  to  the  top,  to  the  amusement 
of  the  boys  standing  on  the  pavement  below.  He  reached  the  top, 
and  cut  the  cord,  when  lo ! the  flag  fluttered  down  into  the  tiny 
outstretched  arms  of  the  little  boys  standing  below,  who  eagerly 
clutched  it  and  ran  down  the  street  with  their  beloved  flag.  The 
amazed  policeman  sat  on  the  top  of  the  ladder  and  watched  the 
small  figures,  with  their  precious  burden,  disappear  from  view.” 

9 


A GAME  OF  HIDE  AND  SEEK 


“On  March  fifth  I witnessed  another  incident  of  this  love  of 
the  flag.  Probably  the  largest  demonstration  of  the  whole  move- 
ment was  held  on  March  fifth.  I stood  on  the  corner  and  watched 
thousands  of  young  men  and  women  go  up  and  down  the  streets, 
holding  up  their  hands  and  shouting  their  cry  for  independence. 
Their  faces,  filled  with  love  for  their  country,  were  almost  spir- 
itual, and  in  their  eyes  burned  a desire  to  free  their  shackled  land. 

“Suddenly  a young  man  jumped  on  a jinriksha,  and  holding 
the  flag  of  his  country  high  above  his  head,  shouted  the  cry  of  his 
people,  ‘Mansei !’  ‘Mansei !’  ‘Mansei !’  The  ever-watchful  Jap- 
anese policeman  also  witnessed  this  little  scene,  and  made  every 
effort  to  get  the  flag.  However,  as  the  young  man  saw  him  rapidly 
approaching  the  group,  he  folded  the  flag  and  passed  it  to  the 
nearest  boy.  The  policeman  was  determined  not  to  return  empty- 
handed,  so  he  arrested  the  young  man,  minus  the  flag,  and  hurried 
him  to  prison. 

“The  boy  who  had  received  the  flag  opened  it  out,  and  waved 
it  above  his  head,  even  as  the  other  Korean  had  done,  and  another 
attempt  was  made  to  secure  it,  but  again  it  was  quickly  folded  and 
passed  back  into  the  crowd.  The  police  tried  again  and  again 
to  secure  the  flag,  but  it  was  always  folded  and  passed  back  into 
the  crowd.  As  long  as  I stood  on  the  corner  I saw  many  who 
handled  the  flag  arrested  and  sent  to  prison,  but  I never  witnessed 
the  capture  of  the  flag.” 

THE  LIBERTY  BELL  OF  THE  HERMIT 
KINGDOM 

“You  are  all  familiar  with  the  glorious  and  thrilling  story  of 
our  own  Liberty  Bell,  but  how  many  know  the  story  of  the  two 
little  Korean  boys,  who  also  rang  a Liberty  Bell  for  their  inde- 
pendence ? 

“On  one  of  the  nights  when  the  independence  movement  was 
in  full  force,  two  young  Koreans  climbed  over  the  railing  sur- 
rounding the  Independence  Bell,  and  rang  with  all  their  might  the 
bell  that  had  been  silent  since  Korea’s  annexation  by  Japan. 
When  the  first  clear  notes  of  the  bell  struck  the  quiet  evening  air, 
it  brought  cheer  and  courage  to  the  hearts  of  the  weary  Koreans, 
and  fear  to  the  Japanese  gendarmes,  who  rushed  to  the  bell,  won- 
dering who  was  tolling  it.  They  were  very  much  amazed  to  find 
two  children  inside  of  the  railing. 

“ ‘What  are  you  doing?’  demanded  one  of  the  gendarmes,  in 
a gruff  voice. 

“ ‘We  are  ringing  the  Independence  Bell,’  fearlessly  answered 
the  boys.  ‘Today  we  declared  our  independence,  and  tonight  we 
are  ringing  the  bell  so  all  our  people  may  know  it.’ 

“ ‘Come  out  of  there  at  once,’  thundered  the  deep  voice  of 
the  gendarme. 


10 


“ ‘W'ait  until  we  finish  ringing  for  our  independence,  then 
we  will  come  out,’  brazingly  replied  one  of  the  youngsters. 

“The  gendarmes,  realizing  the  uselessness  of  wasting  their 
breath,  waited  for  the  boys  to  finish.  So  after  ringing  the  bell 
to  their  hearts’  content,  they  delivered  themselves  to  the  gend- 
armes, who  took  them  to  the  police  station,  where  they  were  un- 
doubtedly tortured  and  beaten.” 

A BRAVE  LITTLE  SOLDIER 

“One  of  the  small  boys  in  the  section  where  I live  made  a 
Korean  flag  and  tacked  it  on  the  gate  of  one  of  the  government 
buildings,  writing  underneath : 

“ ‘This  gates  does  not  belong  to  the  Governor  General ; 
it  belongs  to  the  Independent  Government  of  Korea.  Mansei ! 

Mansei ! Mansei ! \Vritten  by  Kimm ; age  13  ; house 

address,  21  Sargic  street.’ 

“This  flag  and  message  was  like  a ray  of  sunshine  to  weary 
Koreans  who  passed  that  way  and  stopped  to  read  the  notice  of 
the  little  Korean  boy. 

“It  also  caught  the  eye  of  the  ever-watchful  policeman,  and 
he  hurried  to  the  scene.  After  taking  the  boy’s  name  and  street 
address,  he  destroyed  every  vestige  of  his  work.  The  police  im- 
mediately went  to  the  boy’s  house,  but  the  little  fellow  had  grown 
very  timid  after  this  brave  and  glorious  deed  of  the  night  before, 
and  had  hidden  himself.  When  he  could  not  be  found  the  police 
arrested  his  father  in  his  place  and  carried  him  oft  to  prison. 
However,  when  the  little  boy  finally  plucked  up  enough  courage  to 
return  home  and  found  his  father  had  been  arrested,  he  imme- 
diately went  to  the  police  station,  where  he  gave  himself  up  and 
demanded  his  father’s  release.” 

THE  SPIRIT  OF  KOREA 

“One  of  the  girls  in  our  school  came  to  the  principal,  and 
said:  ‘I  must  go  home  to  see  my  mother  on  a very  important 
matter.’ 

“The  principal  immediately  gave  her  permission  to  leave,  so 
she  packed  her  belongings  and  started  for  home.  When  she 
entered  her  home  she  greeted  her  mother,  and  then  with  a very 
determined  look  on  her  young  face,  said,  ‘Mother,  I have  come  to 
see  you  for  a few  minutes,  as  I have  decided  to  give  my  life  for 
my  country,  and  wanted  to  see  you  once  more  and  say  good-bye.’ 

“Her  mother  was  ignorant  of  the  demonstrations  taking  place 
all  over  the  country,  and  asked  her  daughter  for  an  explanation. 
The  little  girl  then  gave  her  some  of  the  story  she  had  heard  of 
the  independence  movement,  and  then  exclaimed,  ‘Mother,  I must 
do  something  for  my  country ; I must  go  out  and  shout  for  our 
independence  and  give  my  life  for  our  freedom.’ 

“The  mother  looked  long  and  lovingly  at  her  little  girl,  then 
bowing  her  head,  she  accepted  the  cross,  and  in  a quiet  voice  said, 

II 


‘My  daughter,  let  us  have  supper  together,  then  I,  too,  will  go  with 
you,  and  we  will  both  die  for  our  country.’  ” 

“Here  is  another  story  which  also  shows  the  indomitable 
spirit  of  the  Korean  people.  There  was  a young  woman  being 
dragged  through  the  streets  by  a Japanese  policeman,  who  beat 
her  unmercifully  eyery  time  she  shouted  the  battlecry  of  Korean 
freedom — ‘Mansei.’ 

“Finally,  after  repeated  blows,  the  policeman  stopped  and 
looked  at  her. 

“ ‘Young  woman,’  he  said,  ‘don’t  you  know  that  you  are 
being  beaten  for  yelling  Mansei  ?’ 

“ ‘The  only  thing  that  is  in  me  is  the  spirit  of  Mansei,’  an- 
swered this  pain-racked,  but  fearless  young  woman,  ‘ajid  when- 
ever you  strike  me  it  must  come  out ; therefore,  the  more  you 
strike  me  the  more  I will  yell  Mansei ! Mansei ! Mansei.’  ” 

AN  INNOCENT  LITTLE  CAPTIVE 

“One  little  girl  was  arrested  by  the  Japanese  police  and  taken 
to  the  police  station.  She  was  brought  before  the  Chief  of  Police 
for  examination,  but  before  he  could  question  her  she  began  to 
question  him. 

“ ‘What  kind  of  a place  is  this?’  she  asked  timidly. 

“ ‘This  is  a police  station,’  answered  the  Chief. 

“ ‘Oh,  is  this  the  place  where  one  comes  to  make  a complaint 
when  one  has  lost  something?’  she  asked  again. 

“ ‘Yes,’  answered  the  Chief,  wondering  what  she  was  going 
to  say  next. 

“ ‘Why,  then  I have  come  to  the  right  place,  for  I have  lost 
something,’  exclaimed  the  little  maid. 

“‘What  have  you  lost?’  grumbled  the  Chief,  fast  losing  his 
patience. 

“ ‘I  have  lost  my  country,  and  I want  you  to  find  it  for  me,’ 
answered  this  wee  girl,  her  small  face  aglow  with  love  for  her 
beloved  land,  and  her  eyes  looking  defiantly  into  the  startled  ones 
of  the  Chief  of  Police. 

“What  answer  did  the  tiny  bit  of  humanity  receive  for  this? 
With  a snarl  the  gendarme  at  her  side  struck  her  over  the  mouth, 
drawing  the  blood  of  an  innocent  child.” 

THREE  DARING  LITTLE  PATRIOTS 

“There  was  a school  of  boys  in  the  primary  classes,  about 
400  in  number,  who  went  back  to  their  studies  in  April,  after 
much  coercion  on  the  part  of  the  police  and  others.  One  morn- 
ing, when  the  boys  were  gathering  for  their  day’s  work,  one  of 
the  older  boys  got  them  into  a group,  and  standing  in  the  middle, 
made  the  following  announcement  to  his  young  companions : 

“ ‘Boys,  it  is  time  for  us  to  show  our  love  for  our  country. 
We  love  our  country^  and  our  people  as  much  as  our  elders,  so 
from  today  we  will  no  longer  study  in  this  school,  but  will  give 

12 


our  hearts  and  our  lives  and  will  work  for  the  independence  of 
Korea.’ 

“For  a moment  they  gazed  at  him  open-mouthed  and  wide- 
eyed,  and  then  the  cry  of  ‘Mansei’  burst  from  hundreds  of  young 
throats.  With  one  accord  the  entire  crowd  rushed  forward  and 
smashed  every  window  in  the  room.  Of  course,  the  Japanese  teach- 
ers soon  had  them  under  control,  and  each  one  was  questioned  sep- 
arately. Finally  it  was  sifted  down  to  about  three  little  boys,  of 
about  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  old.  These  boys  would  not 
involve  any  one  else  in  the  demonstration,  saying  that  they  had 
planned  and  carried  out  the  program  themselves. 

“The  boys  were  sent  to  the  police  station,  and  then  word  was 
sent  to  their  parents,  informing  them  of  the  action  that  had  been 
taken,  and  assuring  them  that  the  police  would  be  able  to  frighten 
the  boys  into  telling  the  truth.  These  children  were  held  in  prison 
for  twenty-four  hours  without  food,  and  were  then  questioned 
something  like  this : 

“ ‘Who  started  this  demonstration?  Who  told  you  to  do  it? 
Did  your  fathers  plan  it  for  you?’ 

“ ‘No,’  they  cried  in  chorus. 

“ ‘Did  the  merchants  in  your  neighborhood  tell  you  to  do  it?’ 

“ ‘No  one  told  us  ; we  did  it  all  ourselves,’  they  replied. 

“ ‘Oh,  T know  who  instigated  you,’  sneered  the  police. 

“ ‘No,’  cried  the  boys,  ‘it  is  right  that  we  should  have  a free 
country,  and  we  sympathize  with  our  brothers  and  our  fathers, 
and  we  are  determined  to  help  with  these  demonstrations  for 
liberty.’ 

“These  boys  were  cruelly  tortured  and  beaten  and  cross- 
examined  time  and  again,  with  the  same  results  as  before.  Finally 
tl’iC  policeman  said  to  one  of  the  boys,  ‘Your  father  has  confessed 
that  he  instigated  this  demonstration.’ 

“The  little  fellow  thought  a moment  and  then  replied,  ‘Well, 
if  my  father  told  you  that  he  lied.  I did  it  all  myself.’ 

“These  boys  were  sent  to  prison  and  kept  there  for  two 
weeks  for  no  greater  crime  than  merely  shouting  for  the  inde- 
pendence of  their  beloved  land.” 

HAPPY  TO  SHED  HER  BLOOD 

“One  of  the  High  School  girls  was  taken  to  prison  after 
having  been  examined  by  the  police  in  charge.  She  spent  a night 
and  a day  in  a cell  with  five  or  six  other  prisoners,  so  crowded 
they  could  not  sit  down,  and  all  that  time  she  had  not  eaten,  nor 
had  she  water  to  bathe  her  face  or  hands.  At  eight  o’clock  that 
evening  she  was  called  by  one  of  the  policemen  and  taken  to 
another  room.  The  room  she  was  told  to  enter  was  in  total  dark- 
ness and  the  girl  refused  to  put  a foot  inside  until  a light  had 
been  made.  As  they  turned  on  the  light,  and  she  was  taken  into  a 
little  8x16  room,  she  saw  twenty-seven  men,  with  swords  and 
spurs,  sitting  around. 

“She  had  to  squat  on  her  feet  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  and 

13 


was  questioned  until  twelve  o’clock  that  night  by  these  brutes. 
She  was  asked  all  kinds  of  questions,  many  of  them  obscene,  and 
each  question  was  accompanied  by  a curse  and  spittle  on  the  face. 

“She  did  not  involve  other  girls ; simply  told  that  she  had 
shouted  ‘Mansei’  because  she  loved  her  country.  They  could  not 
get  her  to  incriminate  the  missionaries,  so  after  four  hours  of 
cross-examination,  they  took  her  out  of  the  room  and  kicked 
her  down  the  stairs.  As  she  rolled  down  she  bumped  her  head 
and  a crimson  jet  of  blood  spurted  from  the  wound,  making  a 
small  pool  on  the  landing,  where  she  lay  unconscious.  Presently  she 
came  to  her  senses,  and  seeing  the  blood,  she  smiled  faintly,  and 
said,  ‘Thank  God,  I.  too,  have  shed  my  blood  for  my  country.’  ’’ 

THE  SUPREME  SACRIFICE  OF  FOUR 
BROTHERS 

“There  was  one  old  man  who  had  four  sons,  the  oldest  not 
over  eighteen  years  and  the  youngest  twelve.  These  boys  joined 
with  others  and  marched  through  the  streets  carrying  the  flag  of 
their  beloved  land  and  shouting  their  cry  of  ‘Mansei.’  The 
gendarmes  gathered  these  four  boys  together,  and  taking  them  to 
a nearby  wood,  demanded  that  they  recant  and  shout  for  the  Jap- 
anese Emperor.  I'his  the  four  boys  refused  to  do;  therefore  they 
were  tied  together  and  then  bound  to  a tree,  while  the  gendarmes 
shot  them  down  like  dogs.  Not  satisfied  with  this,  they  piled 
brushwood  about  the  bodies  and  set  fire  to  it. 

“In  the  meantime  the  father  of  the  boys  heard  of  what  had 
happened,  and  rushed  to  the  woods.  When  the  old  man  found 
that  his  sons  had  been  killed  and  their  bodies  burned,  he  turned  to 
the  soldiers  and  begged  them  to  shoot  him  also,  but  they  only 
laughed  at  him  derisively,  and  said,  ‘This  is  what  your  sons  got 
for  deigning  to  run  counter  to  the  Government.’  ’’ 

THE  LITTLE  NEWS  GIRLS 

“One  of  the  most  valuable  services  the  Korean  girls  ren- 
dered to  the  cause  of  their  freedom  was  the  distribution  of  printed 
matter  from  place  to  place.  The  Koreans  did  not  have  a printing 
press,  and  could  not  publish  a newspaper,  but  in  some  way  they 
mimographed  a sheet  every  day.  known  as  the  Independence 
Nezi's,  and  this  was  delivered  by  girls  of  ten  years  and  over. 

“The  girls  hid  the  papers  in  their  clothing,  and  went  from 
place  to  place  delivering  them  to  the  leaders  of  the  different  dis- 
tricts. In  this  way  the  entire  movement  was  carried  out  without 
any  serious  slip-ups.  It  was  worth  their  lives  to  be  caught  with 
one  of  these  sheets  on  their  persons,  and  quite  often  these  girls 
were  searched  by  the  police,  but  this  did  not  frighten  the  brave 
little  news  girls  of  Korea.  The  favorite  place  for  hiding  these 
sheets  was  inside  the  back  of  their  coats.  Many  of  the  girls  car- 
ried them  in  baskets,  but  they  were  soon  discovered  and  the  sheets 
were  destroyed,  while  the  girls  were  arrested. 

14 


“It  is  said  that  over  one  hundred  news  girls  were  arrested 
during  the  week  of  March  5th,  and  no  doubt  they  met  with  the 
same  terrible  fate  their  sisters  suffered.” 

THE  HUMILIATION  OF  THE  JAPANESE 
MINISTER  OF  EDUCATION 

“Perhaps  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  of  the  many 
expressions  of  the  Korean  children  showing  their  sympathy  for 
the  cause  of  the  independence  movement,  happened  in  connection 
with  one  of  the  large  primary  schools  in  Seoul,  with  an  enroll- 
ment of  over  600  pupils.  The  boys  went  back  to  school  in  April, 
after  much  persuasion  and  coercion,  and  reluctantly  resumed  their 
work,  and  later  took  the  final  examinations. 

“A  great  deal  was  said  about  the  resumption  of  the  school 
by  the  Japanese  newspapers,  which  stated  that  conditions  were 
becoming  normal,  and  that  the  Korean  children  were  finally  con- 
quered. Graduation  time  came,  and  everything  was  in  readiness 
for  a big  display  of  Japanese  pomp.  The  pupils,  the  parents  and 
the  officers  of  the  Educational  Department  were  all  assembled  to- 
gether, and  among  the  invited  guests  were  high  Japanese  military 
officers,  the  Minister  of  Education  and  the  personal  representa- 
tive of  the  Governor  General. 

“The  first  part  of  the  program  went  off  without  a hitch,  every- 
thing was  wonderful  and  the  officers  were  bowing  and  paying  each 
other  smiling  compliments.  There  was  nothing  at  the  graduation 
exercises  to  indicate  that  such  a thing  as  an  independence  move- 
ment was  going  on  in  Korea,  and  no  mention  was  made  of  the 
refusal  of  the  children  to  attend  school  in  March. 

“The  ])rogram  was  almost  finished.  There  was  a return 
address  yet  to  be  made  by  one  of  tbe  boys,  in  response  to  the 
speeches  of  the  officers  of  the  Educational  Department,  and  then 
all  would  be  over.  In  accordance  with  their  pre-arranged  plan, 
one  of  the  graduates,  about  fourteen  years  old,  made  his  bow 
to  the  officers,  and  after  thanking  them  for  their  presence  on  the 
occasion,  said,  ‘We  have  done  all  that  was  required  of  us,  and 
now  there  is  but  one  thing  more  to  be  done,  and  that  is  to  give 
three  cheers  for  the  independence  of  Korea.’ 

“With  that  he  thrust  his  hand  into  his  pocket  and  drew 
forth  the  sacred  emblem  of  his  country- — the  Korean  flag.  At  this 
signal,  six  hundred  Korean  flags  flashed  into  view,  while  six  hun- 
dred boyish  voices  took  up  the  cry  of  ‘Mansei,’  ‘Mansei,’  ‘Mansei.’ 
-\fter  this  they  marched  from  the  building,  tore  up  the  certificates 
the  Japanese  authorities  had  given  thent,  and  threw  the  pieces 
of  paper  into  the  faces  of  the  Japanese  police  and  others  standing 
about  the  door. 

“So  the  great  graduation  exercises  closed  with  great  success 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Koreans,  but  with  unspeakable  disgrace  for  the 
Japanese.” 


15 


THE  FINE  ART  OF  JAPANESE 
BRUTALITY 

“One  of  our  girls  in  the  Pyeng-Yang  Mission  School  obtained 
a copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  through  some  mys- 
terious channels  which  were  unknown  to  us  foreigners,  and  went 
out  on  the  main  streets  of  the  city  to  join  the  other  girls  in  shout- 
ing ‘Mansei.’  This  girl  was  known  in  the  school  as  Maria,  rather 
small  for  her  age,  and  very  frail,  but  she  must  have  had  the  heart 
of  a soldier,  considering  the  manner  in  which  this  little  heroine 
conducted  herself  and  the  courage  she  displayed  on  this  day. 

“She  climbed  partly  up  a telegraph  pole  and  began  to  read 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  to  the  crowd  below.  A Japanese 
gendarme  immediately  appeared  and  told  her  to  come  down  from 
the  pole.  This  the  little  girl  refused  to  do,  and  continued  her 
reading.  This  impudence  enraged  the  Japanese,  and,  drawing  his 
bayonet,  hacked  her  arm  with  it.  She  fell  from  the  pole,  with 
one  arm  partly  amputated. 

“The  soldier  tried  to  snatch  the  Declaration  from  the  ground 
where  it  had  fallen  from  her  lifeless  hand,  but  the  girl  was  too 
quick  for  him.  Reaching  out  with  her  left  hand  she  picked  it  up. 
Standing  on  tottering  feet,  she  began  to  read  again  in  a weak  and 
faltering  voice ; and  again  this  brute  bayonetted  her,  this  time 
striking  her  left  arm.  And  the  little  heroine,  with  her  precious 
document,  passed  into  merciful  unconsciousness.” 

This  is  one  of  the  many  sights  we  foreigners  saw,  and 
though  our  blood  boiled,  all  we  could  do  w'as  pray,  and  say,  “Oh, 
Lord,  how  long,  how  long?” 

These  few  stories  reveal  to  us  the  true  characteristics  of  the 
Korean  race.  The  detractors  of  Korea,  call  whatever  name  they 
may,  use  whatever  adjective  they  desire  against  the  Koreans,  there 
is  one  outstanding  fact,  that  the  Korean  spirit  is  unconquerable. 
A homogenous  race  of  some  20,000,000  souls,  united  in  this  one 
common  aim  of  freedom,  willing  to  give  their  all,  cannot  be  and 
shall  not  be  crushed  by  any  one  nation  or  group  of  nations.  Their 
cause  is  just,  and  the  world  will  know  it  in  time.  The  world  may 
be  selfish  and  cold,  but  it  cannot  and  will  not  let  such  a race  of 
people  perish,  for  the  spirit  of  justice  still  remains  among  man- 
kind. 

The  heroic  part  these  children  played  in  the  tragedy,  con- 
vinces us  that  they  have  some  ability  of  maintaining  order,  sys- 
tem and  indomitable  courage.  No  matter  what  the  present  con- 
ditions are,  all  friends  of  Korea  hope  that  it  will  soon  be  “The 
Land  of  Morning  Calm,”  and  will  again  become  the  peaceful 
abode  of  these  people  who  are  taking  the  leading  part  in  the 
c.stablishment  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  the  ideals  of  democ- 
racy in  that  part  of  the  world. 


16 


If  you  want  to  help  Korea,  join  the 
LEAGUE  OF  THE  FRIENDS  OF 
KOREA. 

This  organization  has  been  formed  in 
the  different  American  cities  for  the  pur- 
pose of  extending  sympathy  and  moral 
support  to  the  Korean  people,  and  to 
disseminate  authentic  information  con- 
cerning the  Orient,  among  the  American 
people. 

Send  your  application  for  membership 
to  the  Korea  Bureau  of  Information, 
825  Weightman  Building,  Philadelphia. 

Membership  dues,  $1.00  per  year,  or 
$3.00  with  one  year’s  subscription  to  the 
Korea  Review,  the  only  monthly  English 
magazine  published  in  America  entirely 
devoted  to  Korea  and  Korean  matters. 


